STORY EXCERPT

Their food came, and they talked about working as a deputy in Maple Grove. Malik might have taken a huge pay cut from what he’d made as a bounty hunter, but he was financially set and didn’t mind.

He looked over his shoulder and saw Emilio hustling to get the drinks made for the men and woman crowded at the bar. He was amused when Emilio glanced his way, but the guy quickly looked in another direction.

“Are you sure this is what you want to do?” Darren grabbed a steak taco from the platter as Moose devoured his dozen.

Malik shrugged. “My boss isn’t too happy that I up and left in the middle of a case to help my niece,” he said. “At three hundred years old, I’m looking to slow down, anyway. I’ve worked my ass off my entire life, and it’s about time I started enjoying it.”

“I feel ya.” Moose wiped at his mouth and took a drink of his water. “Darren and I used to do almost the same kind of work. We did a lot of black op missions that took us all around the globe. It was nice to finally settle in one place.”

“Although I hadn’t planned on it,” Darren said. “I have a cabin on the outskirts of town. I’d gone there to get away from things.”

“To hide your mate,” Moose corrected.

Darren glared at Moose. “Anyway, Lenox fell in love with Maple Grove, so I retired and we’ve been living here ever since.”

“Similar story,” Moose said. “Found my mate after he’d been beaten up by a lion shifter and two demons.”

Malik winced, considering he was a lion shifter.

Moose waved his hand as though he’d read Malik’s mind. “No sweat. You weren’t the one who beat the crap out of Grayson, so no hard feelings toward lions.”

“How is that a similar story?” Darren asked. “I was hiding my mate until I could get him out of the mess he was in. Your mate was held hostage and beaten up.”

“It was Lenox’s mom and brother who did it,” Moose replied. “So that connects the two stories.”

As the two bickered, Malik glanced at the bar again. Some guy was all up in Emilio’s face, smiling at the sexy bartender. He could tell Emilio was annoyed, and he could also see the smiling fool was wasted by the pink flush of his cheeks and the happy glaze in his eyes.

“Excuse me.” Malik got up and walked back to the bar. He couldn’t understand why he was intervening. Emilio hadn’t wanted anything to do with him, yet there Malik was, playing Captain Save-a-Twink.

“Come on, handsome. I could make your night,” the stranger said. “I love the way you smell. I could just eat you up.”

“Hey, babe,” Malik said when he made it to the bar. “Are you still coming to my place after work?”

Emilio’s dark brows shot up to his hairline when he looked Malik’s way. Then knowledge filled his eyes. “Sure thing, sugar plum.” He even tossed in a wink.

Malik looked the drunkard over. “Is there something you wanted?”

The guy looked between them before he shook his head and walked away. Malik tried to scent the stranger, but all he smelled was stale beer, tacos, and too many other odors to get an accurate take on the guy.

“Thanks,” Emilio said. “He’s been coming in every night this week harassing me.”

“You’re most welcome.” Even though he knew Emilio’s name, Malik wanted Sexy to tell him himself. “So, are you still gonna hold out on telling me who you are?”

Emilio’s eyes became guarded. “I’m grateful for the save, but I’m still busy.”

“Okay, at least tell me why you came back from break looking exhausted and bumping into things.”

“You said it,” Emilio said. “Exhaustion. Now if you don’t mind, I have work to do.”

He walked away, leaving Malik standing there staring after him. He decided to leave the bartender alone since Emilio didn’t want to be bothered.

Until the scent of baby powder hit Malik so hard he would swear someone had dumped out a bottle right next to him. But when he looked around he didn’t see any white powder anywhere.

His lion roared, once again going nuts. Malik’s claws threatened to lengthen as his canines tried to emerge. He stepped away from the bar and hurried outside to get control of himself.

Malik was standing on the side of Tilted—what the locals called the bar—sucking in fresh air when he heard a door at the back of the bar squeak open. He looked around the corner and saw Emilio sitting on an overturned crate, staring at his phone.

Malik needed to know. He had to know. Everything inside him felt chaotic, and he’d never experienced that before.

When he approached, he put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “I’m not stalking you.”

Emilio jumped up from where he’d been sitting and backed away. “I have pepper spray!”

“And you don’t need to use it,” Malik said. He covertly inhaled, and fuck! It was as if a fist had punched him in the gut. His lion roared again as Malik fought not to grab Emilio and claim him right then and there.

Emilio looked at him strangely, and Malik knew the human felt the pull.

The cute bartender was his mate.

ADULT EXCERPT

Their food came, and they talked about working as a deputy in Maple Grove. Malik might have taken a huge pay cut from what he’d made as a bounty hunter, but he was financially set and didn’t mind.

He looked over his shoulder and saw Emilio hustling to get the drinks made for the men and woman crowded at the bar. He was amused when Emilio glanced his way, but the guy quickly looked in another direction.

“Are you sure this is what you want to do?” Darren grabbed a steak taco from the platter as Moose devoured his dozen.

Malik shrugged. “My boss isn’t too happy that I up and left in the middle of a case to help my niece,” he said. “At three hundred years old, I’m looking to slow down, anyway. I’ve worked my ass off my entire life, and it’s about time I started enjoying it.”

“I feel ya.” Moose wiped at his mouth and took a drink of his water. “Darren and I used to do almost the same kind of work. We did a lot of black op missions that took us all around the globe. It was nice to finally settle in one place.”

“Although I hadn’t planned on it,” Darren said. “I have a cabin on the outskirts of town. I’d gone there to get away from things.”

“To hide your mate,” Moose corrected.

Darren glared at Moose. “Anyway, Lenox fell in love with Maple Grove, so I retired and we’ve been living here ever since.”

“Similar story,” Moose said. “Found my mate after he’d been beaten up by a lion shifter and two demons.”

Malik winced, considering he was a lion shifter.

Moose waved his hand as though he’d read Malik’s mind. “No sweat. You weren’t the one who beat the crap out of Grayson, so no hard feelings toward lions.”

“How is that a similar story?” Darren asked. “I was hiding my mate until I could get him out of the mess he was in. Your mate was held hostage and beaten up.”

“It was Lenox’s mom and brother who did it,” Moose replied. “So that connects the two stories.”

As the two bickered, Malik glanced at the bar again. Some guy was all up in Emilio’s face, smiling at the sexy bartender. He could tell Emilio was annoyed, and he could also see the smiling fool was wasted by the pink flush of his cheeks and the happy glaze in his eyes.

“Excuse me.” Malik got up and walked back to the bar. He couldn’t understand why he was intervening. Emilio hadn’t wanted anything to do with him, yet there Malik was, playing Captain Save-a-Twink.

“Come on, handsome. I could make your night,” the stranger said. “I love the way you smell. I could just eat you up.”

“Hey, babe,” Malik said when he made it to the bar. “Are you still coming to my place after work?”

Emilio’s dark brows shot up to his hairline when he looked Malik’s way. Then knowledge filled his eyes. “Sure thing, sugar plum.” He even tossed in a wink.

Malik looked the drunkard over. “Is there something you wanted?”

The guy looked between them before he shook his head and walked away. Malik tried to scent the stranger, but all he smelled was stale beer, tacos, and too many other odors to get an accurate take on the guy.

“Thanks,” Emilio said. “He’s been coming in every night this week harassing me.”

“You’re most welcome.” Even though he knew Emilio’s name, Malik wanted Sexy to tell him himself. “So, are you still gonna hold out on telling me who you are?”

Emilio’s eyes became guarded. “I’m grateful for the save, but I’m still busy.”

“Okay, at least tell me why you came back from break looking exhausted and bumping into things.”

“You said it,” Emilio said. “Exhaustion. Now if you don’t mind, I have work to do.”

He walked away, leaving Malik standing there staring after him. He decided to leave the bartender alone since Emilio didn’t want to be bothered.

Until the scent of baby powder hit Malik so hard he would swear someone had dumped out a bottle right next to him. But when he looked around he didn’t see any white powder anywhere.

His lion roared, once again going nuts. Malik’s claws threatened to lengthen as his canines tried to emerge. He stepped away from the bar and hurried outside to get control of himself.

Malik was standing on the side of Tilted—what the locals called the bar—sucking in fresh air when he heard a door at the back of the bar squeak open. He looked around the corner and saw Emilio sitting on an overturned crate, staring at his phone.

Malik needed to know. He had to know. Everything inside him felt chaotic, and he’d never experienced that before.

When he approached, he put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “I’m not stalking you.”

Emilio jumped up from where he’d been sitting and backed away. “I have pepper spray!”

“And you don’t need to use it,” Malik said. He covertly inhaled, and fuck! It was as if a fist had punched him in the gut. His lion roared again as Malik fought not to grab Emilio and claim him right then and there.

Emilio looked at him strangely, and Malik knew the human felt the pull.

The cute bartender was his mate.